Babysitting Mama: A Fun Game of Make Believe

If your little girl is begging to babysit but isn’t quite old enough for the job, now she can play the part with Babysitting Mama ($50) for the Wii.

The game comes with an adorable plush doll that she can rock to sleep, feed with a bottle and get dressed.

Do a good job, and the doll will let you know by cooing and giggling.

Shirk your duties, and the doll will cry.

Babysitting Mama isn’t all work and no play, however.

There’s a two-player mode with a nice selection of competitive activities — a baby obstacle course and baby blanket tug-of-war — to keep your little one interested long after the allure of babysitting has worn off.

My 8 year old daughter &nI saw this at the store and she picked it up and said to me how weird it looked and put it back on the shelf…have to agree with her!

B.R
on January 5th, 2011

I find this to be so wrong, not the pretend babysit part, pretend play is an important part of child development, and babysitting is a great confidence, responsibility, knowledge and skill builder for the child’s future. But to do it through a video game is what bothers me, cause it allows them to quite at any moment by simply turning off the system, there are no real consequence for their actions, plus the competition part of the bothers me even more, just something about competition over a live baby which is what this game is teaching them doesn’t sit well with me . If a child was trusted with taking care of dog or a cat or a fish that doesn’t belong to the family there would be no quitting, and no competition to see who can do it better or faster, and if you don’t do it correctly there are consequence for you actions. I find that video games are taking over some basic child development skills that are best learn through trial and error in real life with real consequence for their actions and cause it the game you can leave when you choose, and stop by a press of the button, I think that at the end of it all the true lesson is lost on the child. But that is just me, at the end everyone will raise their child as they see fit.

Alison
on January 5th, 2011

I bought this for my daughter after she kept begging for it and she absolutely loves playing with the doll and the game. She even has her friends hooked playing it with her.

LOL
on January 5th, 2011

B.R, that’s why parents need to explain the difference between games and real life. It’s just a virtual baby game. Nintendo DS makes tons of these kind of baby and animal care games that kids can just play and put away when they get bored with it too.

Tee
on January 5th, 2011

Video games are becoming like reality television… you can turn ANYTHING into one! Goodness, I can’t imagine giving a child a doll that hooked into a video game system. Maybe I’m really behind the times or something!

Anonymous
on January 5th, 2011

How sexist against little boys! And heartbreaking that in 2011 little girls are still being pushed to be brood mares, since this game is obviously about being a mommy, not a babysitter. Babysitting is about more than just child care – as is parenting, for that matter! So how about a virtual bank account so your little girl OR boy can practice being responsible with their babysitting money?

First Cooking Mama, now Babysitting Mama. All we need is Barefoot Housekeeping Mama to complete the set!

We’ve come a long way…NOT!

Anonymous
on January 5th, 2011

i say we all begin a petition to ban video games. i get sad every time i go outside and there are NO children at all playing in the street and yards. i used to spend all my time outside! i had so much fun. now kids are sun deprived, and wasting their brain (and getting obese) on video games.

i understand some are good for developmentally disabled kids, and some are okay with moderation, but i honestly think the outdoors is better “medication”.

Lis
on January 5th, 2011

I agree that videogames are OUT OF CONTROL these days (parents need to set limitations), however, I would have LOVED LOVED LOVED this when I was a little girl!!! All I ever wanted to do was grow up and be a mommy :) And there is nothing wrong with that!

Ally
on January 5th, 2011

@ Anonymous: Petition to ban video games?! Seriously, this is a very ridiculous and ignorant remark. Gaming is part of our popular culture and it’s a mass industry. And, believe it or not, it’s an art form. There are very interesting titles out there. Not many people realize that, but with the possibilities technology offers us nowadays, the development is not all that different from the music or film industry.

I’m 19 (not thinking about becoming a mom in the next 6-10 years, I’m just a name enthusiast) and I’ve been playing video games for a decade now. My parents weren’t very strict about time limits. However, they were always aware of what kinds of games I was playing. That’s one of the modern responsibilities that come with parenting. I always had a blast gaming with my brother and wouldn’t want to miss those countless hours. BUT I am not obese nor stupid. THANK YOU.

About Babysitting Mama – Of course you have the right to citicize the game but you have to keep in mind that it was developed for the Japanese market. That’s one of the main reasons we might find it slightly strange or maybe even senseless. It is not meant to be highly educational. It is meant to look “kawaii” and be fun to play. I would even go as far as saying that the target group is not neccessarily kids (girls in particular). I think the game might be fun and kids probably just see it as an expansion for the cute plush toy. Moreover, the children can play together which I think is a good thing since the “lonely gamer” is one of those stupid stereotypes we should get rid of by now.

There are good educational games but in our time parents have to accept that it’s okay for their children to spend a rainy day playing game boy. They are just games…They don’t drug your child, make them obese or stupid. And, even more importantly they don’t make your child violent. It is, however, YOUR responsibility to watch what they are playing.

greetings form Germany!

Shea
on January 5th, 2011

In response to the comment that we don’t see kids outside like when we were kids….it’s not because of video games, it’s because of the world. When we were kids it was safe to let your kids ride their bikes all over the neighborhood, we used to take off all afternoon (and we didn’t have cellphones for our parents to keep track of us), and no one really knew where we were playing, just we were out in the neighborhood or at the local park. But, you can’t allow that anymore, you have to worry about drug dealers, pedophiles, gang-bangers starting trouble, bullies,older kids that are sexually abusive, I could go on and on….the world isn’t the same safe place it once was.

My 15 yr old was watching re-runs of the “Brady Brunch” the other day and was making comments about how the kids walked to school and how they came and went etc….when she was little she wasn’t even allowed to play outside in our fenced backyard without adult supervision.

So, in my opinion, video games didn’t come out and take away “childhood’ they were created because our kids childhoods were taken away by the lack of morals and the corruption of the world we live in and there was no place else for them to play.

Waverly
on January 5th, 2011

This is weird. What’s with the feather-looking tuft of hair on the doll’s forehead? I don’t get it — are young girls really begging for babysitting jobs nowadays?

Tee
on January 5th, 2011

Lis, I’m with you! All I ever wanted was to be a Momma! Well, for me it was a wife and Momma! I loved my baby dolls to an extreme and I’m glad that I didn’t need a video game to play with them!

Tamara
on January 5th, 2011

geez…it’s a game people…if you don’t like it and don’t want your kid(s) to play it then don’t let them…video games are not the end of the world and there are much worse things out there than a video game…some kids might be interested in it and the concepts behind it and some won’t be…

Laura
on January 5th, 2011

I’m the same way Lis. I have always wanted to be a mommy so I would have LOVED this game. Sure it is a bit weird but I wouldn’t have cared. If my child wanted it, I’d buy it. Sure I wouldn’t let them play it for HOURS a day… Video games are fine in moderation, at least in my opinion!

Naughty Cal
on January 5th, 2011

Shea-it’s a shame that parents are panicking over all these dangers out there, rightfully or not. With a little bit of martial arts training, however, kids can be equipped to fend off a good deal of them.

fuzibuni
on January 5th, 2011

shea,

I don’t think the world is more or less dangerous… I just think we are more afraid as a society than we used to be.

Erika
on January 5th, 2011

I personally find this ugly and overpriced. If someone buys it for their kid, it isn’t my problem and it’s not a bad thing. But there are so many cuter dolls out there for little girls. I don’t have kids yet but I do babysit for some of my friends kids’ and I think pretend play is adorable and great for their imaginations. It seems like a toy like this takes the imagination out of playing mommy to the doll. An inanimated doll (or even one that does have some imaginations) leaves the playing up to the child which inspires creativity. I personally think Bitty Baby dolls, by American girl, are one of the best (and I believe they are less than or around $50). They are cute and durable and have plenty of outfits that you can buy for them along with other accessories. However, it is all inanimated, which I personally like better. I honestly have to say, *I* had so much fun playing with it with a little 3 year old while babysitting. It is so cute and hysterical to hear what comes out of the childs mouth! Of course there isn’t anything wrong with this specific toy, it isn’t ruining a childs mind of anything. I just personally would rather spend the money on something that encourages a little more creativity.

Erika
on January 5th, 2011

In my last post I meant animations instead of imaginations in (or even one that does have some imaginations). It’s been a long day, sorry for all the typos!

LisaS
on January 6th, 2011

I’m in my twenties and I still love playing video games. Yeah, just try banning them. It wouldn’t only be kids and teenagers who would riot!

Shannon
on January 6th, 2011

Kinda creepy! lol

Olivia
on January 6th, 2011

I agree with anonymous. Perhaps the next time you write up a product review like this you won’t limit it’s fun or interest to only little girls. We get enough gender specific marketing as it is.

Mary
on January 6th, 2011

Awe you all should have been at my house about a month ago. when my 17 year old (now 18) came home with “Baby think it over” baby doll. You want your kids to have a doll like a real baby, get this one. Although I had to sign a paper being responsible for it if it gets damaged, 500 big ones! This thing was so real, she didnt want kids before this doll, she REALLY does’nt want them now.lolol you can program that doll for breastfeeding (which is the one she had) bottle fed, heck even a crack baby doll. (I’m told that one cries non stop)

When our youngest saw this wii doll she said it has a scary face. But then she really isnt a doll or barbie kind of girl. She perfers snakes, worms, turtles, dirt and climbing trees, all the while wearing pretty dresses that twirl.

We have a Wii system and a playstation 2. We all play them as a family. We have a lot of fun too. But they never get played during the summer. My kids live outside from dusk past dark. (except for lunch and dinner) but in the winter we play them. I live in the “frozen tundra” We need something to keep us all occupied. I can’t be outside for too long because of Raynaud’s, So I guess I am guilty at the video gaming.

By the way. Some of the best surgeons are the ones who play x-box either the night before or I know of some that play hours before a big surgery. I personally know these surgeons. My siblings and their friends are just a few!

Oh I am going to add My husband and I were so glad that ‘baby think it over doll’ was gone after a week! I was over that thing after two days!